Hypodermic needle sharpener device



Jly 26, 1955 R. E. DUNHAM ETAL HYPODERMIC NEEDLE SHARPENER DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 5, 1952 INVENTORS RAYMOND E. DUNHAM 8x JESSE -E. SIGLER 8:

PAUL OETJEN ATTORNEYS July 26, 1955 R. E. DUNHAM ET AL 2,713,760

HYPODERMIC NEEDLE SHARPENER DEVICE Filed June 5, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 RAYMOND E. DUNHAM 8 JESSE E. SIGLER 8: PAUL OETJEN ATTORNEYS United States Patent O FLYKJGDERMEC NEEDLE SHARPENER DEVICE Raymond E. Dunham, lesse E. Sigler, and Paul Oetjen, Cleveland, Ohio Application lune 5, 1952, Serial No. 291,948

11 Claims. (Cl. 51--221) This invention relates generally to devices adapted for supporting hypodermic needles to facilitate sharpening of such needles.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described in which a hypodermic needle to be sharpened or resharpened is removably mounted or supported in a position which permits sharpening to be accomplished almost automatically, and with a minimum of effort.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described, in which meansV are incorporated for gauging or limiting the extent of removal of metal from the needle while being sharpened.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described, which` enables needles of various diameters or sizes to be sharpened with equal facility.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which consists of a minimum number of parts which may be quickly and easily assembled and disassembled and manufactured at low cost.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description. In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of one form of device embodying the invention, and showing in broken outline a needle in position to be sharpened;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View of the device;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is la view similar to Fig. 3, but showing a modi'- fied form of head;

Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of the head in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. l, but of a modified form of device;

Fig. 7 is a View similar to Fig. 2, of the modified form of device;

Fig. 8 is a front elevational view of the device of Figs. 6 and 7, and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View, taken on the line 9--9 of Fig. 7.

Referring more particularly to Figs. l to 3 inclusive of the drawings, the device will be seen to comprise a U-shaped frame, made from a length ofV round bar stock, consisting of arms 1 and 2. The arm 1 has an end portion 3 of reduced diameter, forming a shoulder 4, the end of the portion 3 being threaded, as at 5. The arm 2 is threaded for the major portion of the length thereof, as at 6, and has a reduced end portion 7 which extends slightly beyond the plane of the shoulder 4 of the arm 1.

Mounted for slidable movement along the frame 1 is a needle carrier, which consists of a body member 8, and a clamp 9.

The body member 8 is provided with an interrupted bore 10 through which the arm 2 of the frame extends,`

and with .a bore 11 through which the arm 1 of the frame extends. A recess 12 is formed in the body member, in which a nut 13 having a knurled outer surface is disposed, this nut being threadedly secured to the threaded portion 6 of the arm 2, so that rotation of the nut causes the body member to be moved to any desired position along the frame. The body member 8 is also extended downwardly below the arm 2 to provide a finger-hold 14 having a curved forward surface 15 which is transversely grooved.

The clamp 9 is mounted for sliding movement along the arm 1 of the frame, and is provided in its upper end withv a recess 16 adapted to receive the shank S of a hypodermic needle H. The clamp is threadedly secured to the forward end of a shaft 17 which extends parallel with the frame arms and is mounted for slidable movement in a bore 18 of the body member.

The rear end of the shaft 17 is provided with a thumb hold 19 which is mounted on the arm 1 of the frame for slidable movement therealong, and has a curved rear surface 20 which is transversely grooved, similarly to the surface 15 of the linger hold 14. The connection of the thumb hold 19 to the arm 1 of the frame insures against rotation of the shaft 17 about its axis.

An extension coil spring 21 is mounted on the shaft 17y and is interposed between the body member S and the thumb hold 19.

The body member 8 is also provided with a bore 22, parallel with the bores 10 and 11, which is interiorly threaded for the reception of a locating pin 23 having a head 24 adapted to extend into the rear opening of the shank S of the needle H, for the purpose of locating the needle with respect to the carrier.

Due to the expansion of the spring 21, the clamp 9 is resiliently maintained against the sloping surface V of the shank of the needle, forcing the shank of the needle against the body member 8 and automatically maintaining the needle in parallelism with the frame at all times.

The device further includes a head 25, having a iiat base 26 which is normal to the axis of the arm 1 of the frame, a conical surface 27, and a flat forward surface 28, which is parallel with the base 26.

The head 25 is slipped onto the end portion 3 of the arm 1 of the frame, so as to bring the base 26 of the head into abutment with the shoulder 4, and is secured in place by means of a nut 29 having a knurled outer surface.

The conical surface 27 of the head is at an angle of 11 30' to the axis of the head, which angle, as is well known to those skilled in this art, is the standard angle formed between the beveled end of a hypodermic needle and the axis of the needle.

The head 25 is provided with six equi-circumferentiallyspaced bores, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35. Each bore is of a size corresponding with the gauge or size of a conventional hypodermic needle, extends completely through the head, parallel with the Iaxis thereof, and terminates at its forward end in the conical surface 27. The sizes or gauges of the needles adapted to enter the respective bores are indicated by the numerals 15, 21, 22, 23, 25 and 26, impressed in the base 26 adjacent the bores. These correspond to the folllowingV needle diameters:

Needle No. Diameter, inches 15 .076 21 .033 22 .031 23 .028 25 .022 26 .020

Each bore is counterbored at the rear, as at 36, to

3 provide a recess of a size adapted to be entered by the end portion 7 of the arm 2 of the frame. The bottom of each counterbore 36 is countersunk, as at 37.

The head is preferably made of tool steel, hardened to a hardness of 60 to 65 Rockwell C. The pin 23 is likewise made of steel, as is the frame and spring 21, but the remaining parts of the device are preferably formed of brass.

The use of the device will now be briey described.

With the needle clamped between the body member 8 and the clamp 9, the nut 29 is loosened sufiiciently, to permit the portion 7 of the arm 2 to be retracted from the head 25, and the frame is rotated in the head 25 until the needle is aligned with that bore in the head which corresponds to the number of the needle. The portion 7 of the arm 2 is then reentered in that recess 36 which is diametrically opposite said bore. The nut 29 is then drawn up against the surface 28 of the head, thereby locking the frame against rotation relatively to the head.

The nut 13 is then rotated, so as to cause the needle to cnter the selected bore, this entry being somewhat facilitated by the countersunk surface 37 which acts to direct the needle in to the bore. This movement is continued until the portion of the needle which is to be sharpened projects the desired distance beyond the forward end of the bore, after which the needle is rotated about its axis sufiiciently to bring the beveled surface of the needle parallel with the area of the surface immediately surrounding the point of the needle, which area is substantially fiat. This rotation of the needle is effected by first pushing the thumb hold 19 forwardly to release the pressure of the clamp 9 on the needle, after which the needle is free to turn, the thumb hold being then released to permit the clamp to again engage the shank of the needle.

With the needle thus properly positioned for sharpening, the device is held in one hand by means of the thumb and index finger, the thumb engaging the surface 20 of the thumb hold, and the index finger engaging the surface 15 of the finger hold.

The end of the needle is then sharpened, as by means of a fine texture sharpening stone or abrasive, the sharpening being continued until the stone engages the surface 27 of the head, which surface thus acts as a gauge to prevent removal of any more of the needle than is necessary to produce a sharp point.

After the sharpening of the needle has been accomplished, the needle is removed by releasing the clamp 9 and removing the needle from the device.

It is thus seen that we have provided a device which is well adapted for the sharpening of hypodermic needles of various diameters, and which enables the needle to be sharpened easily and quickly, without removal of excess metal from the needle.

The device, moreover, consists of a minimum number of parts which can be easily and quickly manufactured and assembled, at relatively low cost.

In Figs. 4 and 5, a modified form of head is shown, in which, instead of the conical surface 27, the portion of the head, through which the needle projects consists of fiat inclined surfaces 27', each inclined at the same angle (11 30') to the axis of the head, and each surface being of the same dimensions and area. The manner of use of such a head will be obvious, and further description of such use is unnecessary.

In Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 a simplified form of device is illustrated, which is adapted for home use, where a single size needle is constantly used, as by diabetics.

This device comprises a head 40 of generally rectangular form, having an inclined upper surface 41 which forms an angle of 11 30 with the base or lower surface 42 of the head. The head 40 has a bore 43 extending therethrough from the rear surface 44 of the head to the surface 41, this bore being of a size corresponding to the single size needle used by the diabetic. The axis of the bore 43 is parallel with the base 42.

The head 40 is provided at one side thereof with an arm 45 which is formed integrally with the head and extends rearwardly for a considerable distance.

A lever 46, similar in contour and length to the arm 45 is pivotally secured to the head 40, as by a pivot pin 47, so as to be movable to a position parallel with the arm 45.

In the use of this device, the needle to be sharpened is inserted through the bore 43 from the rear end of the bore, and moved forwardly sufficiently to expose the portion of the needle end which is to be removed for sharpening purposes, care being taken that the bevel surface at the forward end of the needle is parallel with the surface 41. After this, the lever 46 is moved into clamping engagement with the shank of the needle, and sharpening of the needle is effected in the same manner as described in connection with Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings.

It is to be understood that the forms of our invention, herewith shown and described, are to be taken as preferred examples of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of our invention, or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A device for supporting hypodermic needles having a bevel surface to be ground, said device comprising a U-shaped frame having two spaced arms, a needle carrier mounted for sliding movement along one arm of said frame and in a direction substantially parallel with the other arm of said frame, means for clamping a needle to said carrier, means for adjusting the position of said carrier along said arm, said means comprising a nut threadedly secured to the other arm of said frame, and a head carried by said frame and having a surface inclined to the axis of said first named arm, said head having a surface-intersecting opening therethrough for passage of said needle.

2. A device, as defined in claim 1, in which said clamping means includes a spring-pressed member adapted to engage the shank of the needle.

3. A device, as defined in claim 2, in which means are provided for releasing said spring-pressed member.

4. A device, as defined in claim 1, in which said head has a conical surface.

5. A device, as defined in claim 4, in which said head has a series of circumferentially-spaced bores extending therethrough and of different diameters corresponding with different sizes of hypodermic needles.

6. A device, as defined in claim 5, in which said head has a series of fiat surfaces inclined to the axis of the head.

7. A device for supporting hypodermic needles having a bevel surface to be ground, said device comprising a threaded member, a needle carrier mounted for movement along said threaded member, means mounted on said carrier for clamping a needle to said carrier, means for adjusting the position of said carrier along said threaded member, said means comprising a nut threadedly secured to said threaded member between longitudinallyspaced portions of said carrier, and a head disposed adjacent the forward end of said threaded member and having a surface inclined to the direction of movement of said carrier, said head having a needle-receiving passageway therethrough parallel to said threaded member and intersecting said surface.

8. A device, as defined in claim 7, in which said clamping means includes a spring pressed member adapted to engage the rear end of the needle.

9. A device, as defined in claim 8, in which means are provided for releasing said spring-pressed member.

l0. A device of the character described, said device comprising a threaded elongated member, a needle carrier mounted for movement along said threaded member, means for adjusting the position of said carrier along said threaded member, said means comprising a nut threadedly secured to said threaded member and adapted to move the carrier forwardly and rearwardly along said threaded member, means mounted for movement substantially parallel to the movement of said carrier for clamping the shank of a hypodermic needle to said carrier, and an indexable head disposed adjacent the forward end of said threaded member and having a beveled surface against which the point of the needle is adapted to be ground.

1l. A device, as defined in claim 10, in which said last-named means is resiliently urged into clamping relationship to said carrier.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Martin Dec. 19, Zukowski Aug. 3, Taylor June 25, Slack `lune 30, Mascarenhas Nov. 13, Michelson Nov. 27, Banner Oct. l, Torteson June 22, Bloomquist Aug. 29, Trippel Apr. 8, Hougham Apr. 7, 

